John Abili, Staff Writer
Oratory Prep’s Varsity Soccer Team is blowing past the opposition this year. With a strong offense and a tight defense, they make it seem easy. But the question is: how do they manage to do this, after going up a division, and playing four overtime games? The answer is the tough preseason schedule.
Preseason technically starts in June, before the season starts. With summer practices once a week, the Rams get some conditioning done and work on their skill. When August rolls around, everything gets serious. By the first day, they are expected to run 2 miles in at least 14 minutes. After that, they still have a lot of conditioning that day. The day after, their endurance is put to the test with the Man U run. It is a 20 minute pacing test which includes a 15 second full field sprint at the end. A full week of conditioning and ball work gets the Rams to optimal level, preparing them for the season at hand. This tough preseason allows them to have lighter practices during the season, focusing only on everything with the ball. The fitness they are in puts them levels above the opposition making them contenders for the Non-Public B and Union County Tournaments .